


Wild Fire

by Merit



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Gen, Role Reversal
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-18
Updated: 2014-05-18
Packaged: 2018-01-25 13:26:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,269
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1650239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merit/pseuds/Merit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Katniss won the 71st Hunger Games. Things start to change when the Girl On Fire, Johanna Mason, wins the 74th Hunger Games.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wild Fire

“The Girl On Fire,” Katniss said and then gave Haymitch a slightly incredulous look. “They do realise that fire burns wood?”

“It’s a metaphor,” he said, eyes more on the amber liquid in his glass than on the screen where Johanna Mason, the female tribute for the 74th Hunger Games, smiled nervously at the roaring Capitol crowd. She’s seventeen and scrawny, her dark hair swept back so that the flames lick at it.

Katniss shrugged. “I suppose they must be entertained,” she said and turned away from the screen. Haymitch had been right. The Capitol always wanted more from the Victors. This was her third year as a Mentor and Katniss still hated the interviews, the sheer waste of food and the fake brightness everyone seemed to exude. “I suppose they must be grateful that they finally got rid of that tree obsessed stylist,” she murmured, eyeing Haymitch’s glass. Sometimes she wondered what it would be like if she took it out of his hands and just drank it all. “I just wish Cinna hadn’t gone over to 7.”

Haymitch looked up from his glass and stared at her for several seconds. “I imagine he had his reasons,” he said blandly. “He always like the underdog and 7 hasn’t had a Victor in years.”

“Hmm,” Katniss said, looking at the screen again. Their two tributes were fourteen and fifteen, scrawny from hunger and with dull eyes. Katniss hated knowing they were going to die. It was worth it, she thought, loathing herself for even thinking that. Prim wasn’t hungry. Prim was only fifteen but when Katniss had won, it meant Prim had never had to take tesserae. Katniss hoped it was enough to keep her safe from a second reaping.

 

* * *

 

Johanna won and for a while everything stayed the same.

Katniss went back to 12. She kept her head lowered when she exited the train even though everyone knew it had to be Katniss Everdeen coming home. Haymitch was the only other person from 12 that left and he usually had to be dragged out, reeking of alcohol, before the train departed. She raised her head when she heard a sob and saw one of the tribute’s mothers. Katniss swallowed and stepped closer but the woman just fled, weeping.

The rest of the people stared for a moment before turning away. Katniss wasn’t sure what they felt about her. Katniss hadn’t been friendly with them before Prim was reaped – she wasn’t friendly with anyone – but it still hurt to be ignored.

There was no one home when Katniss arrived at the Victor’s Village. Her mother was probably tending to some mine injury and Prim was still in school. She talked so much about doctoring sometimes Katniss wondered if she could send her to the Capitol for training. It deeply unsettled her to imagine Prim in the Capitol. And who knew what the Capitol would want from both of them.

She went hunting because Katniss didn’t have any duties now. Winning meant school was left behind. She had tried going back, but the whole class had been silent, straining away from her. Even Madge had averted her eyes. The teacher kept on starting and stopping her sentences before she collapsed in her chair, staring at her hands. Katniss was wanted to scream, that she didn’t want to kill any of them, but she had to, she _had_ to and she saw them in her dreams every night.

She didn’t think _that_ would help her reputation though.

There was nothing else she could do. Even the task she had dreaded, but accepted that she must do, had been closed to her. Now she watched the miners walk home and clenched her hands, finger nails digging tiny crescents in her hands.

Gale wanted to talk to her, but Katniss didn’t like how his eyes lit up when he spoke of her killing the boy from 1. He had still been a kid, Katniss had thought. None of them had deserved the Arena. Gale barely had any time for hunting. He spent so much time underground that he was developing a squint when faced with daylight. He kept on getting punished, tiny infractions that the Peacekeepers largely ignored, but Gale kept throwing it in their faces. They didn’t speak of leaving 12 and soon they were hardly speaking at all.

The woods were quiet. She didn’t know if they, the Capitol, were watching her out here. She had failed them before and sometimes she woke up in the middle of the night, a cold sweat covering her body and lip nearly bitten through. What if they came for Prim? That was only thought on her mind.

Katniss went home with a few kills; two rabbits, a vole and pheasant. She left the rabbit at Gale’s house. His siblings needed to be fed and this was the only way he would accept her help. The only honest way, he had said to her when she had tried to offer him money. His face had been white and Katniss had looked away, feeling deeply ashamed.

The other kills she distributed. There were always hungry mouths in 12.

 

* * *

 

It was three days after Johanna’s victory tour when Haymitch cornered her, thrusting her against a wall and hissing in her ear, “We need to talk.” Katniss shoved him off her and glared at him.

“You’re talking,” she said, crossing her arms and raising a defiant eyebrow at him. She hated coming back to the Capitol after the Victory Tour. But she was expected to party, to celebrate death. She had already failed Snow in other ways, she couldn’t fail him again.

Haymitch ran a hand through his hair and Katniss was surprised by how much grey there was. It made her feel cold that Haymitch might die on her and leave her alone to mentor a bunch of starving kids. “Snow’s not happy,” he said finally.

Katniss snorted and crossed her arms across her chest. “When is he happy?” She asked. But she felt fear creep through her bones.

“About Johanna,” Haymitch said. “He never likes it when a tribute wins through trickery,” Haymitch’s mouth twisted. “The Capitol does so he inflicts the Capitol on the Victors.”

She looked at the ground. It was shined to a high gleam. It was so different from home. Even in the Victor’s Village, her mother and sister kept things clean, but things didn’t shine like they did in the Capitol.

“They’re going to ask her to prostitute herself,” Katniss said dully. She felt sick to her stomach. “They’ll threaten her family, because that usually works, doesn’t it?”

Haymitch breathed out and closed his eyes. “They’re already dead. Fever took them, according to anyone who asks. Not that anyone would. Who cares about a family back in 7?” He said, with a nasty twist to his voice.

Katniss couldn’t keep her gasp in. She covered her mouth and looked side to side quickly. There wasn’t even a Vox in sight. Cold nerves erupted in her stomach, grinding away at any sense of security she had. They could take Prim, she thought wildly. “What’s going to happen?”

“Keep ready,” Haymitch said, watching her carefully. “I don’t know what’s going to happen and you need to be prepared.”

“We go home tomorrow,” Katniss said, staring down at her fingernails. In a sudden burst of emotion she suddenly missed Cinna terribly. He had always known what to say, even she was a trembling tribute, thinking she was about to die.

“You go home tomorrow,” Haymitch said, straightening his jacket. It didn’t help. It was made out of rich purple velvet and looked squashed beyond repair and Katniss wasn’t going to ask what the mysterious stains were.

“I see,” Katniss said. But she _didn’t_.

 

* * *

 

She doesn’t know what she was expecting. It wasn’t this. All she can hear is her breathing, fast and frantic. Prim appeared in front of her, a line between her brows, and she’s talking but Katniss can’t hear her. She ran. She fled to the woods where she could scream.

It was hours later, nearly dusk, when she went back home. There are lights on in her house in the Victor’s Village and Katniss paused. She can smell her mother’s cooking and her sister was scolding her cat. After a minute Katniss retreated, quietly walking over to Haymitch’s house. He’s sitting in the dark, surrounded by more than one empty bottle. The house reeked of liquor and dirty old man. Katniss sat next to him.

“Is this what you were waiting for?” She asked, voice quiet. Her hands are clenched and her knuckles are white. Katniss relaxed, breathing slowly. She didn’t want to lose herself again.

It took a while for Haymitch to answer. “No,” he finally said, taking a final swig from the bottle before letting in slide out of his fingers. “This is what happens with the Quarter Quell,” he said, staring off into the distance. “They take, they twist.”

“How am I going to go back?” Katniss asked, letting her selfish thoughts rise to the surface. She was still woken up at night from nightmares.

Haymitch snorted. “You’re probably not the only person asking that,” he said dryly. Something had changed, even though his gaze was unfocused, Katniss could see that he was thinking a thousand miles at once. “They’re going to be tougher than before,” he said, “These people have killed and won. Just like us,” he added sourly.

“There’s no one else,” Katniss said and hated herself. Every year since she had won she had wanted another Victor from 12. She had wanted one because there would be one less set of accusing eyes, from their parents, their brothers and sisters. Now she wanted a Victor because maybe she wouldn’t be chosen on Reaping Day.

“No,” Haymitch agreed. “Will you be ready, Katniss?”

“I don’t know what you want,” Katniss said.

“You’ll see soon,” Haymitch said and Katniss hated him for keeping secrets from her.

 

* * *

 

She didn’t like it.

They had been training for weeks now, because there were no other Victors in 12, so they had to be ready to be reaped. They trained by the fields near the wall and sometimes Katniss wondered what it would be like if it wasn’t there.

“The rebellion,” she whispered, because she didn’t want anyone from the Capitol to hear, even here. “That’s so stupid, you’re all going to die.”

“Some of us are going to die,” Haymitch said, and for once there wasn’t a drink in his hand. “But you’re probably going to die anyway, Katniss.”

Katniss recoiled from him. “I have Prim,” she said, her voice sounding distant to her ears. But she clutched onto those words. All that she had done, all the blood, she had done it for Prim.

“We’ll try to protect her,” Haymitch said gently.

“Just like you protected Johanna’s family?” Katniss bit back and suddenly it was all coming out. “Just like you protected Finnick? Just like you protected me?” And her voice broke and Katniss slumped, looking away.

“It’s different for Victors,” Haymitch said tersely. “And it is different now. You must have heard the whispers. Everything shifted when Johanna won. She’s like wildfire.”

“No one talks to me,” Katniss said, but she didn’t deny that she heard hushed words exchanged, eyes darting for a Peacekeeper. She had heard the word _hope_ too many times to count.

“The rebellion has the support of District 13,” Haymitch said and Katniss shook her head.

“You’re telling me that District 13 still exists?” She said and rolled her eyes. “It is a wreck, dead and gone.”

“Wouldn’t they like us to think that?” Haymitch murmured. Katniss stilled. “And we need you Katniss.”

“What for?” Katniss asked guardedly.

“You will be needed in the Arena,” Haymitch said. “There are already plans in place, if you agree, you’ll be told more.”

“How can I agree to that?” Katniss said, feeling like she was on the edge of a cliff.

“We’ll take Prim,” Haymitch said. “She’ll be taken to safety. You won’t have to worry about her. She’s nearly sixteen, Katniss,” Haymitch said gently. “Away she’ll never have to face a reaping again.”

Katniss hissed, nails digging into her hands, and looked away.

 

* * *

 

They were all in the elevator together. Katniss looked at Haymitch, quirking a brow, wondering how random this actually was. He just shrugged and kept a small smile on his face.

Johanna was beautiful in her Cinna designed dress, Katniss thought with a pang. She missed Cinna. Maybe after all this was over she would be able to talk to him again. Johanna looked at her with a guarded expression. Katniss nodded at her but her expression didn’t change.

“Cinna used to be my stylist,” Katniss said.

“He’s the best,” Johanna said fiercely.

“Yes,” Katniss said. Then silence reigned. She didn’t know how she was supposed to become friendly with someone like this. She was the worst person for the job, Katniss thought glumly. “I’ll see you at training,” she said, when the elevator opened on Johanna’s floor.

Johanna gave her an intense look before nodding.

The door closed and Katniss rocked back on her heels, suddenly miserable. “I won’t be able to befriend her,” she said.

“You just need to be there at the right moment,” Haymitch said, closing his eyes.

Nerves twisted Katniss’ stomach into a mess and she just nodded. This was for Prim, she thought, hands clammy against her tissue thin dress. She would do this for Prim.

How hard would it be to keep Johanna Mason alive?

**Author's Note:**

> For trope_bingo, for the prompt, 'role reversal'.


End file.
